30% Scheme Funds being Allocated for Development of Women Farmers: Shri Pawar

Consultative Committee on Agriculture meets

New Delhi: October 31,2012

Union Minister of
Agriculture and Food Processing Industries Shri Sharad Pawar today
informed Members of Parliament that “in order to ensure that funds get
adequately devolved for women specific needs, 30% funds are being
allocated for development of women farmers under various schemes/programmes
with a focus on formation of Women Self Help Groups.”

Speaking at the Meeting of the Consultative Committee on “Women in
Agriculture”, he expressed that rural women play a pivotal role in the
entire gamut of agricultural operations ranging from land preparation to
post-harvesting operations. He said, “Their access to productive assets
like seed, water, credit, subsidy needs to be enhanced. Women are often
not recognized as farmers for want of ownership of land and are not
considered as beneficiaries under various government programmes /
services. Due to wage differentials between men and women in some parts
of the country, the situation gets further aggravated.”

He elaborated on the steps taken by the Ministry of Agriculture to
improve the lot of women farmers and said, “Currently, there are number
of schemes being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, wherein
there is a provision for women-specific activities. These include Gramin
Bhandaran Yojana, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, ATMA Scheme, National
Food Security Mission National Horticulture Mission etc.”

Shri Pawar stated that various Ministries in the Government have been
working towards empowering women farmers and efforts are being to bring
about convergence and synergy. Developing gender disaggregated data and
gender budgeting are other key activities which have been taken up to
bridge gender inequalities.

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